How Long Do Kidney Transplant Patients Live

How long can kidney transplant patients live? What is the average life expectancy after kidney transplant? This is the questions that nearly all end stage renal failure patients concern.

To be honest, the answer is uncertain. There is great individual difference and there are many factors that need to be taken into account.

Generally speaking, the average life span of the transplanted kidney is 5 years and in some cases it is more than 10 years. But this can not be applied to every kidney transplant cases. There are many who died within months after the transplant while there are still many who are still alive after more than 20 years. It was reported that the longest life expectancy after kidney transplant is 35 years.

Organ rejection is one major threaten to the transplanted kidney. Patients have to take anti-rejection medicines after the surgery. These medicines will further lower their immunity and disease-resistance and make them more susceptible to colds, infections and viruses especially the cytomegalovirus infections. According to global data, there are about half kidney transplant patients will have cytomegalovirus infections. What is more, there is certain risk to take this surgery.

There are many patients suffer from renal failure again 2 or 3 years after kidney transplant and they will need dialysis once again to sustain their life. From the long run, kidney transplant is not very satisfying though it is definitely the most effective therapy for end stage renal disease in short term.

What is more, there are some kidney diseases that are not suitable to have kidney transplant, therefore more caution should be taken before the transplant and there are many other options such as natural herbal medicines which have especially good and lasting curative effects if renal failure has not progressed into the final stage.